Dowel assembly for paving joints



June 20, 1939. a. F. FRIBERG DOWEL ASSEMBLY FOR PAVING JOINTS Filed July 22. 1935 INVENTOR. BL F.FRIBERG umrao srAra-s PATENT OFFICE museum]! m ravmo JOINTS Laclede Steel o! Mlaaonri.

r. ma st. mus, Mo., assignor to Gompany, St. Louis, Mo., a cormm. my 22,1935, Serial No. 32,528

8 Claims.

It has been found to be impossible toconstruct a concrete pavement-oi any considerableextent so that it will not crack under-strains caused by change in temperature or otherwise. As such 5 cracks cannot be avoided it has: round: in!

vantageous to control their location so as to .divide the pavement into predetermined sections of limited area. This. may be accomplished either by. completely dividlngthe. pavement into blocks 10 by means ofexpansion or contraction joints, or

crackelccating means may beemployed ing the pavement along the desired lines so that when cracking occurs under strain-it will follow such lines and result inv a like division 0! the pavement into blocks. To prevent relative vertical movement of the'blocks it has been customary to connect thelradjacent edges by dowels extending across the. actual or potential lines oi!v division. To eilectively p rform their function,

so both when the Joints or cracks are closed at high temperature and when they are-opened a decrease in temperature, such'doweis must be parallel not only with the plane of the pavement but with each other. Heretoiore great dimculty has been experienced in securing proper positioning of the dowels. Even "their initial location is successfully accomplished, they'are likely to be displaced by theapplicatlon of the concrete.

The object of my invention is to provide simple so and eilective means for insuring the proper positioning of the dowels. and further, to produce a unitary structure which may beput together at the side of the roadway and lifted into position as a'complete assembly.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one form of dowel assembly made in accordance with my invention, Figure. l is a vertical cross-section of a part of a roadway before the concrete has been applied; Figure 21s a .top plan 40 view oi the parts shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-4 oi. 'Fi'gure 2; and Figure 4 is a section on a reduced scale. taken on the line 4-4 of Figure '2, after the concrete has been applied.

For the purposes of illustration 1 have shown an expansion joint I extending across a roadway from a side form 0, but my dowel assembly may be used in connection with various other types of crack-locating means. The Joint I is provided with uniformly spaced openings 1 for the passage of dowels I, the ends oi which extendinto the concrete 0 at each side of the joint. A pair of spacer rods II are located one at each side of the Joint. The rods have welded to them alter- (Cl. 94-18) V l of supports II and expansion sleeves i2. The

supports II are each preferably made of wire in the form of a hair-pin loop, the turn of which embraces the dowel. One prong of the loop enters the soil andthe other is bent out to form a ground stop. at the level of the subgrade. Welded either to the rod to or to the support II, or to 'both, is a stop I! for limiting the endwise movement of the dowel. .Each expansion sleeve I2 is provided with a closure at the outer end to prevent entrance of the concrete and this is 'the dowel and the sleeve to compensate for such expansion.

To assemble the device the dowels are first oentrally located in openings lot the expansion joint and then the loops and sleeves applied to: their ends. The proper location of the loops and sleeves'on the dowels is insured "bythe stops I 3 and I. This operation'may be carried out at any convenient point and the complete assembly transferred as a unit to its final location. As each dowel is engaged at bothends by members which are rigidly attached to the spacing rods, parallelism of the dowels with each other necessarily results, and the parallelism of the dowels with the plane of the pavement is insured by the supports welded to the spacer rods at the proper height from the ground stops.

As my construction includes, in one unit, the spacer rods, the supporting elements, and the expansion sleeves, it is possible to make the supporting members of exact height to fit the position to bev occupied by them in the pavement and no dilllculty will arise by having loose supports of different heights to be assembled or located. at the construction. My construction, therefore,

"pared to the practice, heretofore common, of assembling all loose parts by tie wires on the job, and in addition, gives the very great advantage of rigidity inherent in the manufactured article.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi. 'the United States is:

1. In a. device of the class describedfthe combination with pavement separating'means. of a plurality of dowels slidingly mounted in and extending at each side of said means, a pairoi. spacing bars, one positioned at each side of the pavement separating means, dowel engaging members for each end of each dowel unconnected with the separating means and welded to said bars, said members having movement on the dowels, and means for limiting the movement of the dowels in the direction of their length.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of dowels for connecting the adjacent edges of paving blocks, of positioning means for said dowels, said means including a. spacing bar. a plurality of expansion sleeves welded to said bar and provided with closed ends, and distortable means for spacing the closed ends of the sleeves from the ends of the dowels.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with pavement separating means, of a plurality of dowels slidingly mounted in and extending at each said of said means, a pair of spacing bars one positioned at each side of said means at a substantial distance therefrom, each of said dowels engaging at one end with a spacing bar, and expansion sleeves engaging ,the other ends of the dowels, said expansion sleeves being unconnected with the separating means and each being permanently secured to a spacing bar.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with pavement separating means, of a plurality of dowels slidingly mounted in and extending at each side of said means, a pair of spacing bars one positioned at each side of said means at a substantial distance therefrom, each of said dowels engaging at one end with one of the spacing bars, and expansion sleeves engaging the other ends of the dowels, said expansion sleeves being unconnected with the sepaa pairot spacing bars, one positioned at each side of said means at a substantial distance therefrom, dowel engaging means including dowel stops, and supports for the spacing bars .positioned below the dowels, each of said dowel engaging means including a loop and a strap having a turned over end engaging the upper part of the periphery of the dowel, whereby said engaging means prevents twisting of the supports out of a vertical plane perpendicular to the axis of the dowel, said dowel engaging means being unconnected with the pavement separating means and rigidly secured to the spacing bars.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with pavement separating means, of a plurality of dowels extending through said means, a pair of spacing bars, one pomtioned at each side of said means at a substantial distance therefrom, dowel engaging means rigidly secured to the spacing bars, and supports for the spacing bars positioned, below the dowels and secured against pivotal movement relative to a dowel engaging means, said dowel engaging means contacting with the periphery oi the dowel at upper and lower points so spaced in the direction 0! the length oi the dowel that said dowel engaging means preventstwisting of the supports out of a vertical plane perpendicular to the axis 0! the dowel, said dowel engaging means being unconnected with the pavement separating means.

- BENGT F. FRIBERG. 

